Undated photo of Glen Doherty, a former Navy SEAL, who died in an attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya.
/ AP Photo/Quigley family photo

Two of the four Americans killed Tuesday after an attack on the U.S. consulate in Libya were former Navy SEALs from San Diego County.

Glen Doherty, 42, of Encinitas, and Tyrone Woods, 41, of Imperial Beach, were working at the diplomatic compound in Benghazi as security and intelligence contractors. Also killed were the U.S. ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens, and information officer Sean Smith. Three others were wounded.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Thursday that Doherty and Woods “died helping protect their colleagues.

“Our thoughts, prayers, and deepest gratitude are with their families and friends. Our embassies could not carry on our critical work around the world without the service and sacrifice of brave people like Tyrone and Glen,” she said in a statement.

The two former SEALs settled in San Diego County after initial training in Coronado, where all the elite naval special operators must pass a grueling 21-week test of mental and physical endurance.

Doherty, who grew up in the Boston suburb of Winchester, Mass., was a gregarious outdoorsman and high-octane adventurer, a self-proclaimed “high priest” of “The Cult of Recreationalism,” friends and family said.

The pilot, former ski instructor, surfer and trainer at the CrossFit/SEALFIT gym in Encinitas served nine years as a SEAL before getting out in 2005.

“Glen was a true hero and one of the greatest guys I’ve ever known. You would have liked him,” said Brandon Webb, a former Navy SEAL from San Diego who wrote a book with Doherty called “Navy SEAL Sniper.”

Almost everyone did, according to Doherty’s family and friends. “His way of making everyone around him feel special and loved came from the fact that he genuinely looked up to all his friends, always seeing their greatness in a way they sometimes wished they could see themselves,” his brother, Greg Doherty, of Kensington, said in a statement.

Glen Doherty’s ex-wife, Sonja Johnson, said “People looked up to him. ... They were inspired by him. He was always a leader. He could command attention.” He was also a dependable friend, she added: “He’s the guy you’d call who you knew would help you move, lend a hand or take care of your dog. He would never say no.”

During his military career, Doherty graduated from the 18 Delta Special Forces Combat Medical School and the SEAL sniper course. He responded to the USS Cole attack off the coast of Yemen, participated in the 2003 invasion of Iraq and served a second tour there in 2004.

“He simply believed that the possibility of liberating the country from a tyrant and making democracy possible for the Iraqi people was worth him risking his own life for,” Greg Doherty said.

Glen Doherty’s work as a government contractor took him for months at a time to countries including Lebanon, Pakistan and Afghanistan. The work was an extension of his military service, said one acquaintance who asked not to be named out of respect for the privacy of special operations forces.

“You never take your uniform off. You hang it in the closet. But everything that went along with it is still there. All the training and the dedication you have to your nation. That is what drives these guys,” he said.